Bizerba To Present The iS 50 Industry Terminal

Bizerba will be presenting a new generation of terminals at the Fachpack 2013 in Nuremberg. The company has combined weighing and controlling technology in one single device for the very first time. With this innovation, food manufacturers, bakeries, breweries and grain and feed manufacturers will not only be able to save space and costs, they will also be able to simplify their production processes.

The iS 50 is equipped with three internal weighing modules and displays the processes of three checkweighers at the same time on a 7-inch TFT screen. Dieter Conzelmann, Director of Industry Solutions, explains: "The operator uses two modules, say, to monitor the filling process and uses the third to carry out a check calibrated to conform with the regulations of the pre-packaging directive." The result, according to Conzelmann, is that the operator saves space and costs, as he or she can even operate different types of checkweighers at the same time with the iS 50, for example suspended scales and table top scales. Until now, individual terminals were needed for each.

And the iS 50 doesn't just weigh – it controls surrounding components, all at the same time: motors, valves and frequency converters. "Until now, you needed additional control systems to control roller conveyors before and after the checkweigher. Now, food manufacturers, bakeries, breweries and grain and feed manufacturers can do away with this altogether, saving space and costs and simplifying their production processes. 

Self-teaching programmes help with portioning, filling and determining quantities.

The iS 50 has a number of programmes, including for portioning and filling, measuring out recipe quantities, counting and compiling statistical data in accordance with the pre-packaging directive. It checks the target value and adds to the portions if necessary. "After a short training period, the terminal even knows the flow characteristics of the various products and can independently optimise the opening and closing points of the valves, thanks to the automatic learning mode," explains Conzelmann. Using a soft PLC, customers can even programme the terminal themselves and adapt it to their needs, for example freely altering the display layout and changing the size of letters and numbers.

High protection classes (IP 65 and 69k) and flexible interfaces

The iS 50 has Ethernet and USB ports; field buses such as PROFIBUS DP can be added later if required. This means that the user can easily integrate the terminal into their production structure, connect it to an SQL database or save compliance-related data on an SD card. The stainless steel casing of the iS 50 is resistant to high pressure and steam jet cleaning and meets protection classes IP 65 and 69k. It can be mounted on a wall, table or tripod stand.